Friday, May 16, 2014

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Recently I attended an Economic Development and Revitalization Standing Committee Meeting held by the City of Goleta. Of particular interest to me was the subject of Parking Alternatives in Old Town. I oppose any elimination of on street parking on Hollister.

Mayor Michael Bennett had attended a meeting with a person in Santa Barbara who had been involved in the planning of all of the Santa Barbara downtown parking lots in the 1960s. Bennett emphatically stated that for Old Town Goleta to make any future economic progress, all parking on Hollister would HAVE to be eliminated. His plan was to use existing parking lots that would have a share arrangement with the city for some of their parking or simply be city-owned parking lots. The plan would be for patrons to park and walk as in downtown Santa Barbara.

Bennett understood fully that this would be a distinct disadvantage to many existing businesses in Old Town that have a customer base that won’t park and walk. This would probably cause many to either move or go out of business. His comment was that businesses will always come and go but that the parking lots would attract new businesses that would do well in a park-and-walk situation. He commented that if you build the parking lots, that type of business will come. Councilmember Jim Farr was in total agreement with Bennett.

I find this attitude disturbing and insulting. We are not downtown Santa Barbara nor do most of us want to be. Bennett and Farr believe they know best what is good for Old Town. They both have this vision and a plan of what they would like it to be. I have spoken to Councilmembers Roger Aceves and Paula Perotte. Perotte is noncommittal at this time. Aceves does not agree with Bennett and Farr on this issue. He believes that the City of Goleta should support business, especially existing business, and while the ides of long range and future planning is smart, trying to model Old Town Goleta like downtown Santa Barbara is not the direction to go. We do not have Chapala Street, Anacapa Street, nor the infrastructure surrounding Hollister to make this feasible.

Since our group Concerned Goleta Citizens started opposing this issue of eliminating Hollister parking, I have collected over 2,000 signatures from concerned citizens who actually park on Hollister and patronize businesses in the 5800 block. The people who sign this petition are very much opposed to this idea and are shocked that anyone on Goleta’s City Council would even consider it. If you oppose this move to eliminate parking, want to support and keep the existing business alive, and are opposed to Old Town Goleta being just like downtown Santa Barbara, express your opposition by writing, emailing, or phoning your Goleta City Council members. If, like me, you are outraged by this attitude, express this by voting them out of office in the next election. With them, the change will happen before you know it.

Comments

Yes, it will kill Goleta downtown businesses just like it did (and people screamed it would) when this was done to downtown SB - none of which "doom and gloom" came true.

The author is correct that Old Town Goleta is not downtown SB... but it could be! Old Town Goleta right now is a dump that celebrates cars over people, promotes concrete and asphalt vs landscaping and pedestrian traffic.

Getting parking off Hollister is the first step to beautifying an eyesore. The author and his crotchety old geezer friends will soon move along and watch the sunset fall over their retirement pastures and we can move Goleta forward *for people* and *jobs* and *attractive, pedestrian friendly spaces*.

removing hollister parking will make old town even more of a highspeed thoroughfare as opposed to a destination.

Hollister is currently too wide for a relaxing shopping experience. tough to do when cars are flying by at 40 plus mph. put in a median strip with flower beds etc..convert one of the traffic lanes to angle parking, that will slow down traffic, improve storefronts, encourage patio dining with local restaurants and old town becomes infinitely better and more pedestrian friendly.

Well one thing I will say in the author's favor is that current businesses have a proven track record where new business fail at a rate of 90%. If they run these proven businesses out they will be dealing with a new business which will have a high rate of failure.

I'm not entirely opposed to removing parking from the street, but they better have a really good plan for adding additional parking spaces off the street and I don't know where that would be.

I also think downtown Goleta could potentially keep the street parking AND get a pretty good facelift. There are plenty of downtown areas that look nice and have street parking (many with 'angle parking' as lawdy mentioned, or some combination of both). Seal Beach comes to mind.

I am an old town resident for the past 9 years and also oppose the removing of street parking. The planners should look at alternatives for economic progress. I think Old town should not be upgraded to to look like Calle Real.